Lucila Justina Sarsines Reyes (July 19, 1936 – October 31, 1973), was a Peruvian

performer The performing arts are The arts, arts such as music, dance, and drama which are performed for an audience. They are different from the visual arts, which involve the use of paint, canvas or various materials to create physical or static art ob ...

and one of the most respected singers of her country, one of Peru's most famous African-Peruvian personalities as well as a symbol of Peruvian

nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...

both in

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and to expatriates. She was also known by the pseudonyms "La Morena de Oro del Perú", given to her by Augusto Ferrando, and "La Reina de la Popularidad". She is well known for her voice and her music has gone through history as some of the best in the history of Peruvian music.Lucha Reyes: la cantante peruana que conmovió con su voz
Consultado el 8 de octubre de 2018.

History

Born to a poor family in the capital,

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

, Reyes was one of sixteen siblings. Her father, Tobías Sarsines, died after she turned six months old. Reyes spent much of her childhood living away from her immediate family. She sold

newspapers A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...

and

lottery A lottery (or lotto) is a form of gambling that involves the drawing of numbers at random for a prize. Some governments outlaw lotteries, while others endorse it to the extent of organizing a national or state lottery. It is common to find som ...

tickets to survive. Her house burned down, and she went on to live at a

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

church. As a child, Reyes met Pitito Pérez, a famous Peruvian singer of the era. Pérez liked her voice and invited her to join him in a duo. The duo was named ''Lucha y Juan''. The duo gave Reyes the opportunity to be heard on national radio stations. Lucha Reyes debuted in a show named ''El Sentir de los Barrios'' (or "The way the Neighborhoods Feel") singing the cultural standard "Abandonada" by Sixto Carrera, a song with lyrics that resembled her own experiences on the streets. She eventually joined the controversial music group

Peña Ferrando Peña, meaning "rocky outcrop" or "rocky summit" in the Spanish language (Aragonese: ''Penya'', Catalan: ''Penya''), may refer to: Mountains *Peña Montañesa, a mountain in the Pre-Pyrenees, Aragon, Spain * Peña de los Enamorados, a mountain ne ...

of Augusto Ferrando. Lucha Reyes was briefly married to a policeman.

Art

Reyes acted sporadically in theater plays around Lima and would later go on to act in a movie named ''Una Carta al Cielo'' ("A Letter to Heaven") by Salvador Oda, about a boy whose dead mother (voiced-over by Reyes) would speak to him. Lucha performed in various acts, living on

art Art is a diverse range of cultural activity centered around ''works'' utilizing creative or imaginative talents, which are expected to evoke a worthwhile experience, generally through an expression of emotional power, conceptual ideas, tec ...

in a

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...

style, and produced music favored by the military

nationalist Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...

government, who encouraged the diffusion of the Peruvian cultural expressions through mass media. In 1970, helped by

Nilo Marchand Nilo may refer to: * Nilo (name) * Nilo, Cundinamarca, a town in Colombia See also * Nilo-Saharan languages * Nilo Rukundpur, a village in Patepur Tehsil, Vaishali, Bihar, India * Nilo Syrtis, a region just north of Syrtis Major Planum on Mars ...

, manager of the record label FTA (Fabricantes Técnicos Asociados), Reyes recorded her greatest success, "Regresa" ("Come Back") by

Augusto Polo Campos Augusto Armando Polo Campos (25 February 1932 – 17 January 2018) was a Peruvian composer. Life Born in Puquio, Polo Campos is considered one of the best Peruvian composers of all time. He was author of many popular international hits which ...

, a number-one international hit. On the success of "Regresa", Reyes recorded her first LP and, soon after, began her only international tour.

Last days

She was diagnosed with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

and

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

. The diabetes left her blind. She had cardiac complications and

alcoholism Alcoholism is the continued drinking of alcohol despite it causing problems. Some definitions require evidence of dependence and withdrawal. Problematic use of alcohol has been mentioned in the earliest historical records. The World He ...

. Lucha Reyes asked composer Pedro Pacheco to write "Mi Última Canción" ("My Last Song"). On October 30, 1973, one day before her death, she sang "My Last Song" at a well-known local radio broadcasting station. On the following day, October 31, 1973, Lucha Reyes, "La Morena de Oro del Perú" (Peru's Golden Black Woman) died. She is buried in the Cementerio El Ángel in

Legacy

Lucha Reyes and the ensemble Los Morochucos made a name for black performers among the leading interpreters of the vals criollo and

marinera Marinera is a partner dance that originated along the coastal regions of Peru, using handkerchiefs as props. The dance is a re-enactment of an ancient Mochic dance, modernised with a mix of Spanish contradanza and Andean zamacueca, and is a s ...

genres. The

vals criollo The vals criollo (), or Peruvian waltz (), is an adaptation of the European waltz brought to the Americas during colonial times by Spain. In the Viceroyalty of Peru, the waltz was gradually adapted to the likings of the Criollo people. In the 20 ...

derives from the Viennese waltz. The music is not originally African -Peruvian, but was converted by phrasing lyrics and playing the vals criollo with slightly off-beat accents. The addition of the cajón to the traditional instrumentation of two guitars served to give the vals an African -Peruvian dimension. Marinera songs honor the sailors who fought in the war with Chile and are played with two guitars, a

cajón A cajón ( ; "box, crate, drawer") is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front or rear faces (generally thin plywood) with the hands, fingers, or sometimes implements such as brushes, mallets, or st ...

, and accompanied by hand clapping. Songs such as "¿Qué Importa?" of Juan Mosto ("What Does It Matter?"), with lyrics like "'' yet another failure is but a drop of water in the ocean for me ''" were made famous by Lucha Reyes. Her songs were rich with Peruvian Nationalism and criollo pride. October 31, the anniversary of her death, coincides with the annual celebration of the "

Día de la Canción Criolla The Día de la Canción Criolla is a Peruvian festivity celebrated yearly on October 31. The event celebrates the ''criollo'' culture of Peru. It was established on October 18, 1944, by the President Manuel Prado y Ugarteche. History The cele ...

" (Day of the Creole Song) in

Discography

* '' La Morena De Oro Del Peru'' (1970) * ''Una Carta al Cielo'' (1971) * ''Siempre Criolla'' (1972) * ''Mi Ultima Cancion'' (1973) * ''¡Regresa!....'' (1974) * ''Lucha por Siempre....Lucha'' (1974) * ''El Show de Lucha Reyes'' (1975) * ''Cuatro Estrellas Criollas'' * ''Jamás impedirás'' * ''Un rosal divino'' * ''Yo tengo una pena''

Compilations

*''Criollos Inolvidables'' *''Criollos Inolvidables Vol.2'' *''Criollos Inolvidables Vol.3'' *''Regresa: Lucha Reyes, La Morena de Oro del Perú'' (Music & More, 2010)

References

External links

"Lucha Reyes y su casa en los Barrios Altos"
* http://www2.caretas.pe/2003/1796/articulos/lucha.html
"‘There was no one better’: Peruvian singer finally takes her place among all-time greats
in ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. First published in 1791, it is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper. In 1993 it was acquired by Guardian Media Group Limited, and operated as a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' ...

'' (29 October 2023) {{DEFAULTSORT:Reyes, Lucha 1936 births 1973 deaths 20th-century Peruvian women singers 20th-century Peruvian singers Singers from Lima Blind singers